'Elephant Family and Me' Provides Close-Up of Pachyderms in Africa

Last Updated
by Lucie Raposo on

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan travels to the spectacular Tsavo wilderness in Kenya and tries to gain the trust of a herd of elephants to film this uniquely intimate portrait of their family life.

Filming them is tough, though - elephants are among the most dangerous animals on earth. Buchanan theorizes this is the result of mistrust of humans after brutal treatment. But with the help of local expert Benjamin Kyalo, Gordon manages to get spectacularly close to the elephants on foot.

In this two-part series, Gordon follows the struggles of first- time mother Wendi and her new baby, Wiva. He walks with some of the largest tusked elephants on earth and sees what it takes for an elephant family to survive in today's Africa.